Erie, CO Real Estate

Erie is an emerging destination spot for food and events, convenient to Boulder, Denver, and surrounding communities. Located less than 25 minutes from downtown Denver and a few miles east of Boulder, the community of Erie is home to more than 22,000 residents who help to conserve and enhance its small town character. In its early days, Erie thrived due to coal mining, railroads and agriculture. Today you can enjoy the popular historic downtown, home to a variety of events, delicious foods and 18-hole championship golf course at the Colorado National Golf Course.

Erie is full of outdoorsy people from young professionals, to growing families, to active seniors who enjoy the close proximity to the mountains and the scenic trail system. The Vista Ridge community offers five-star resort amenities, including homes for every budget and lifestyle. Vista Ridge offers custom, single-family, condominium and low-maintenance homes.

The 41-acre Erie Community Park further improves the quality of life with ballfields, concession stand, playgrounds, soccer fields, tennis courts, walking trails and picnic tables. Erie also boasts premier educational and research facilities including a public library and St. Vrain and Boulder Valley School District schools.

History

The town of Erie, incorporated in 1874, has its roots in agriculture and coal mining. In the early 1870’s, a line from Brighton to Erie was added to the Union Pacific line (Denver to Cheyenne) to haul Erie’s generous coal supplies to fuel the railroad’s massive steam engines. The town of Erie was named by its founder, Reverend Richard Van Valkenburg, a Methodist preacher who connected widespread local citizens through gospel. Born and raised in Erie, Pennsylvania, Reverend Valkenburg honored his native city with the naming of Erie, Colorado. Reverend Valkenburg went on to serve as mayor, postmaster, police judge and more for the burgeoning coal mining town. By the mid-1870’s, Erie began to see growth. A community emerged with a town hall, jail, large school, churches and doctor offices. Erie’s history as a coal mining town includes several worker strikes and tragic mining accidents. Tributes and memorials to Erie’s miners can be found around the town today.

In the 1940’s, demand for coal slowed, and Erie’s coal production dwindled by the 1960s. Around the turn of the century, Erie experienced incredible growth and has boomed into a substantial suburban community, tucked between Boulder, Longmont and Denver.